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Sunday, January 13, 2013

january in bloom and thai beef curry bento

Hi there! Monday's bento features a spicy Thai curry tucked into a golden pepper, sugar snap peas, and baby carrots, cress and tender lettuce from my garden. I was so delighted a couple of days ago to notice the tiny hot pink hearts dangling delicately from this dicentra, planted as a bareroot two months ago. I was not expecting bloom until March or April! Learning the new calendar of growth here in Northern California is full of sweet surprises like this...

King's Nursery, just a few blocks from my house, was alive with color in the middle of January:

one yellow bell pepper, one half orange bell pepper, both seeded and chopped

one half large red onion

one tin Maesri Massaman curry paste

one can coconut milk

In one saute pan, saute onion and garlic over a gentle flame until aromatic, add shallot and peppers. Cook, turning, until peppers are glossy and tender. In another pan, saute beef, salt and pepper until sizzling and lightly browned. Add all of curry paste and stir well to blend with beef, and then potatoes. Add peppers mixture, cook together a couple of minutes, then pour in coconut milk. Simmer for about ten minutes, taste and correct seasonings. I added cayenne for extra heat!